Bathing suit



Patented Sept. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Z Claims.

This invention relates to ladies and girls bathing suits, and morepatricularly to such bathing suits of the tight-fitting type, usuallymade from woven material having rubber threads and adapted to stretch tot the body snugly.

It is among the objects of this invention to provide ladies and girlsbathing suits which will uplift, correct and properly support the bust,will do so while the wearer is swimming or bathing, as well as otherwisestretching the upper portion of the body and which notwithstandingmovement of the arms and upper portion of the body of the wearerincluding stretching of the upper portion of the body, as takes placeduring swimming, will still cover and properly support the bust.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing detailed description thereof.

In accordance with this invention the upper portion of the bathing suit,i. e., the portion above the waistline, is constructed to provide twospaced breast-receiving cups or pockets, at least the lower portions ofthese cups being made of oneway stretch fabric capable of stretching ina vertical direction. If desired, these cups may be made in theirentirety of such one-way stretch fabric. A panel also made of a one-waystretch fabric stretchable in a vertical direction is positioned belowthese cups. This panel is joined to the cups by seams which permitrelative movement between the cups and this panel. With thisconstruction the upper portion of the bathing suit containing thebreast-receiving cups can stretch in a vertical direction.

The breast-receiving cups uplift, correct and properly support the bustand continue to do so notwithstanding stretching of the body of thewearer while swimming or for other reasons. This is the case because thebreast-receiving cups can stretch relative to the connecting panel andrelative to the side portions of the suit to which they are attached.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this speciiication andshowing, for purposes of exempliflcaticn, a preferred form of thisinvention without limiting the claimed invention to such illustrativeinstance,

Figure l is a front perspective View of the bathing suit embodying thisinvention, portions thereof being broken away to show the interiorconstruction of the suit;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary back perspective View of the bathing suit ofFigure l;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken in a plane passing through line3--3 on Figure 1; and

Figure ll is a plan View of the upper and lower panels of eachbreast-receiving cup in non-assembled condition.

In the drawing Il) indicates the body portion of a bathing suit providedwith panty or leg portions il having a crotch l2. The lower portion ofthe suit may be of any well known construction. For example, it maycomprise two panels i3 and ll of one-way stretch material stretchabletransversely secured together by a seam i5 at the base of the back ofthe suit. The upper portion of these two panels may be provided with aZipper I6 or other fastener. At the front of the suit panels I3 and Iare sewn to an intermediate underlying panel Il to which the crotch i2is fastened and which extends from the bottom of the suit to waistlineE3. A decorative overlying panel i9, which may be pleated as indicatedat 2@ transversely of its length extends the full length of the suit.Desirably, panel HJ is secured at its sides to the side panels I3 andIii. For example, the overlying panel i9 and the underlying panel II maybe secured as by seams 2l and 22 to the side panels I3 and ill. Thepanels i'i and i9 like the panels i3 and lil, in the preferredembodiment of the invention, are made of one-way stretch materialstretchable transversely. Hence, the suit iits the body snugly, i. e.,is tight-fitting.

Two spaced breast-receiving pockets 23 and 2d are formed in the upperportion of the suit. As best shown in Figure 4, each of these pockets isconstituted of a lower substantially diamondshaped panel 25 of one-waystretch material stretchable in a vertical direction and an upperlaterally elongated panel 2d which in the preferred embodiment of theinvention is made of a one-way stretch material stretchable in a lateraldirection as indicated by the arrows on these panels. Thebreast-receiving pockets 23 and are secured to an intermediateconnecting panel 2l of ane-way stretch material stretchable in avertical direction, In the embodiment of the invention shown in thedrawing, panel 2 bridges the space between the two-breast-receivingpockets 23, 2d.

`The panels i5, 26 of each breast-receiving pocket and the intermediatepanel 27 are seamed to the side panels i3 and ld and thus form the upperportion of the front of the suit. Panels 25 and 2&3 of eachbreast-receiving pocket are secured together by seam 28 along the sides25a and 26e so that when the two panels are thus secured to each otherthey form a cup or pocket, as is evident from the drawing.

One lower inclined side of each of the panels 25 is sewn to the sidepanels I3 and I4 to form seams 29. The other lower inclined sides of thepanels 25 are sewn to the connecting panel 21 forming downwardlydiverging seams 3Q, 3l. These seams 30 and 3l are made with elasticthread r a Zig zag or other stitch, so that the seams are elastic andpermit relative movement of the breast-receiving pockets 23, 24 relativeto the intermediate connecting panel 21. The sides 32 and 33 of thelower portion of the pen'- tagonal panel 21 are secured by seams 34 and35 to the side panels I3 and I4. The base 36 of the panel 21 is securedby seam 31 to the top `of underlying panel l1.

Each of the upper panels 26 of ,them-east.- receiving pockets 23, 24 issecured to c ne oi" the side panels I3 and I4 by a seam 38'.Y Elastictapes 39, 40 stretchable in a transverse direction, as indicated by thearrows thereon, may be secured t0 iheide panels .and one inclined .Side.0f the upper panels 25. These tapes `are under tension so that theupper portion of the ysuit snugly engages `the `body .beneath thearmpits. Straps 4I are suitablyvfastened, as at,42, to `the tops of thebreastreceiying cups 23, 24.

Panel I9 is .provided with a top portion 4? of substantially the sameshape vas panel l21 overlying this panel and having its apex :4,4buttoned, as at 55, to the top of the bathing suit at (a vpoint at thefront center neckline between the breastreceivingl pockets 23 24. Theinclinedmside edges 46 and 41 vof portion 43 are loose, i. e., are notattached to the underlying panel 21. Furber, Dofion 43 iS dmnioxld .nott0 restrain vertical stretch of panel A21.

In the construction hereinabove described the breast-receiving pocketsor cupsf23 and 24 snugly receive the breasts ,of the'nwearer and upliftand support them. As these .cups can ino've relative Yto theintermediate connecting panel 21 and they, as well as this connectingpanel, can stretch in a vertical Vdirection the,cups2 3fa`nd 2`4continue Ato uplift, cover and properly Support the bust while thewearer is swimming, bathing,

or otherwise stretching ,the body. The Vbody swimmingfelongatesparticularly `from the waist to the point where thebust'joins themidrii. In the suit of this invention panel 21 accommodates ,suchelongation and does so without linterference with the functions'of thebreast-receiving cups 23 and 24'.

It will be noted the panel I9 is `attached vto the suit only bythe `sideseams 2| and 22 and by butH ton 45 at the front center neckline. Seams2I and 22 terminate at points 48 and`49 leaving edges 46 and 41 ofportion 43 loose. Thesel'ocse edges permit full utilization 'of thevertical stretch of panel 21 to accommodate elongation of the body inthe midrifi and bust -portions thereof.

The construction of the bathing suit embodying this invention admirablylends itself to b eing made with breast-receiving cupsI in differentsizes to accommodate different sizes ofv busts. Thus, by selecting vtheproper size,V the wearer will obtain a close and proper tting suit whichwill not only nt properly about the portion of the body below the waistbut will also properly fit the bust portion of the body .and accommo- 4date elongation of the body in the midrii and bust portions thereof.

Since certain changes may be made in the above described bathing suitand different embodiments of this invention could be made withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention, it is intended that allmatter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanyingdrawing shall beinterpreted as illustrative and not'in a umitmg sense.,Forlexampla instead of the pentagonal panel 21, the breast-receiving.cups 23 and 24 may abut and a panel disposed beneath thesebreast-receiving cups connecting themto or near the waistline portion ofthe suit, Qiyiiich pianelis made of a one-way stretch materialstretchable vertically. Instead of having each breas'tLrecreiv-ing cupformed of panels 25 andg, each cup may be composed of a single panel ofone-way stretch material stretchable in a verticaldirectiQn. Panel 4 3may be Shaped otherwise',thanlaslshown, need" not have its vtopbvuttoned l s at 45, and if desired', maybe omitted entirely. f

What is claimedrisz ,1- A tieht'fttrig .bathing Suit ,Comprising a bodyportion formed oftwo `side panels of oneway ystretch material,stretchable in a lateral ldirectionQaufi-ont panel eitending from thebase of the bathing suit to the waistline and having its sides securedto said side panels, said iront panel -being `of one-way `stretcl'imaterial stretchable in a transverse direction, the upper portion ofsaid suit containing @W0 bfela'stffeceivine pockets @eeh .formed of twopanels, the lower panel of each pocket being formed of one-way stretchlmaterial'stretclfiable in a vertical direction and the upper ,panel Vof'each pocket of oneway stretch material stretchable in a lateral -di-!nnan ilerda'e page1 Dldgillg the Space between said breast-receivingpockets, having the 1.19pm" .PP'Ol .thfQf Subslanlfauy tfangu' larinshape andseou'red )by stwhable and @Qntractablefseams to thens'ides ofthe vsaid lower panels' and having the base thereof secured to the topof said .front panel, ,sla-id 4intermediate ranlfbeig Of .onfwaylsirich.material Stretchable in avertie-al di'rection, and a decorative panelof substantially'the same width as the front panelleictending from topto bottom of the bathing suit -and,overlying said Vfront andintermediate panels. 4

2. A bathing s uit as defined in claim l, in which the decorative panelis made of one-way stretch material stretchable in a vtransversedirection and is secured to the suit vonly at the sides thereof and'at-its top at the front center neckline of the suit leaving saidintermediate panelfree to stretch in ave'rtcal direction without"restraint-by said decorative panel.

' INEZ BLOCK. @stateless Cited .in .thefle .0f this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS

